Children of Clow
by SheherazadeSohma
Summary: Before Tomoeda, before Sakura the Cardmistress, the Cards' path came to Hong Kong and shaped the lives of Xiaodan Li, Yelan Wong, and turned the sorcery of East and West upside down.
1. Prologue: Shattered

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Cardcaptor Sakura, a creation of CLAMP.

**PROLOGUE: **_Shattered_

000000000000000000000000000000

Yelan had made a discreet exit from the reception, and now knelt upon a mat in her room, meditating, breathing rarely, slowly, deeply. The fat candle before her was the only light source. Next to it, a bowl of incense softly smoked, wisps curling, climbing in the silence.

Between her and the incense was a larger bowl filled with still water. Yelan waved her hand, beckoning the smoky scents to her; then with her pale fingers, she stirred them across the water's surface.

She would need all the meditation, all the power she could get, in preparation for tonight.

With her eyes closed, she didn't see a long, miniscule rope of water slither soundlessly under the door, across the floor, into the bowl.

She abruptly heard a voice she once feared she'd never hear again.

"_Yelan."_

The lady fought back tears, hit by recollections of being soothed to sleep by a voice that, whether muttering or crying out, held the whisper of running streams.

"…About time, old friend."

"_You look old."_

She smiled at such bluntness. "That's generally what happens to us humans. Will not your mistress notice you've gone?"

"_Her happiness consumes her, as it should. The reception is a disorienting place, and my brethren are celebrating with her. Sweet is going crazy with the dessert table; Flowery is threatening to drown all in sakura petals; and Dash is bouncing off the walls."_

"She's radiant," Yelan agreed, "and finally family." A tender look stole across her face. "Wed to my baby…"

"_I doubt he was ever a 'baby,' just as my mistress wasn't one for long,"_ The watery whisper in the voice changed to a haughty burble. _"No child challenges a Child of Clow, only—"_

"A warrior of worth."

"_You remember."_

"Yes. Speaking of the Children of Clow…Keroberos and Yue…"

The voice let loose a brief tea-kettle hiss. _"Remember nothing. Their last memory of Hong Kong is Clow's flight from the mansion."_

"Still nothing has jogged his memory," Yelan murmured worriedly. "I was right then: force will have to be used."

"_We haven't tried force because their minds could be damaged."_

"Not if it's _me_ forcing," Yelan said quietly. She sighed, taking in and solidifying what magic she could. Beyond a period of resting, there wasn't much she could do at this point. "Not if they see me, and the rest of us, first, they'll start to remember. Not many things can refuse the Jade Emperor."

Her eyes, which had been staring into the cloudy bowl, slide back into focus.

"They deserve to be whole, Nereida."

She leaned forward on her knees and puffed out the candle.

"It's an awful feeling, not being whole."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Hong Kong

Main Li Estate, Hong Kong Island

March 24, 2004

000000000000000

Keroberos, Keeper of the Clow, Lion of the Cards, Guardian of the Cardcaptor, Vessel of the Western Magic, Guardian Beast, Child of the Sun…

…was blubbering like a baby.

**"GYYAAAAHHHH-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAAAA!!!"**

"Kero-chan? Kero-chan!"

At the sound of his mistress's voice, Kero's tiny black eyes uncontrollably welled-up yet again. "_Sniff, sniff, sniff_….D-don't cry….bad day to c-c-c-c-rrrryyy!!"

Sakura burst through the door to the guest bedroom, Syaoran right behind her. They were shocked at the sight of the small winged mini-lion sitting on the desktop of the vanity, nearly buried under a mountain of tissues that spilled onto the floor. His little golden head swiveled to look at the pair—and he let out another wail.

**"WAAAAAAAAAHHHHH-HA-HAAAA!!!"**

"Oh, Kero-chan…" Sakura padded over to him. Her small hands batted away the crumpled tissues so she could scoop up her old friend and hold him to her chest. "You came here to cry? We were wondering where you were."

"Yeah," Syaoran agreed, "we still have half the sweets left at the dessert table. We noticed your absence!" When Kero kept whimpering, his grin faded. "Aw, c'mon plush toy. I didn't know you're one to cry at weddings."

Kero glanced at the vanity mirror—his Sakura, dressed in a _ch'ang-p'ao_, a one piece garment going down to her ankles, with long billowing sleeves, patterns of blossoms, suns, moons, and wings dancing across the silk. Tomoyo and Meilin had spent forever fitting her for the white, yellow, and red dress. Her bright green eyes gleamed, a cherry blossom barrette with a pink tassel clipped in her golden brown hair along with the other Chinese head ornaments, a barrette bought on their first (very memorable) trip to Hong Kong. She was now a beautiful woman of eighteen, but her face remained as sweet as ever.

Syaoran came forward in his emerald green pants and traditional jacket and wrapped a lithe arm around her waist—he had to admit, the brat had grown into a strong, intelligent, kind young man, more open to people than the kid he was at age ten. All in all, the groom was worthy of the bride.

_I'll say Clow Reed was an octopus before I admit that, though_, Kero thought with a stubbornness induced by tears.

"I thought I'd be saying this to her father, but I'm not taking Sakura away from you, Kero-chan," Syaoran said soothingly. "You do remember you're going to live with us, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, save your lines for Touya," Kero said. His voice sounded strange and warbly, trying to seem grouchy, but coming out more on the weepy side instead. "I'm surprised he didn't try a last minute assassination before the ceremony."

Syaoran grinned ruefully. "Since we're now technically relatives, we decided on a truce. He'll give me peace until kids come along, after which he'll promptly begin on turning them against me."

"Is it just because it's such an important event for us that you're sobbing?" Sakura suggested.

"Yeah…and everyone we know is here, plus tons of folks who practice the old magic…y'know, I even met up with some Guardians from the old days?"

Sakura looked surprised. "Clow-san wasn't the only who made Guardians for his magical instruments?"

"Far from it, love," Syaoran said, voice muffled because he was currently kissing her hair. "Magefolk couldn't monitor their magicks twenty-four/seven, so it was a necessity. Most magicians employed Fae or house-spirits, though; Guardians the size and intelligence of Yue and Keroberos were almost unheard of."

"There were a few who came pretty close though," Kero corrected. "It's amazing how I haven't seen them for so many decades, but they're not that changed at all. Michiko's still a looker; Anansi still weaves outrageous stories (you'd swear she and that Yamazaki friend of yours are related); Gilgamesh is still quite the dignified king; and Maximus still eats like a pig. I swear, you've never seen _anyone_ pack away food like this guy does, what a glutton!"

Sakura placed a finger on Syaoran's mouth. "_Not a word_, sweetheart."

"I guess seeing all those faces from both my recent and distant pasts was completely overwhelming," Kero concluded. He sniffed some more, reveling a bit longer in the close presence of two people he cared for. They'd finally found happiness in each other. "Huh…guess we should go back down to the reception. People are gonna be wondering where you two lovebirds went," he said with a suggestive chuckle.

"I hope they know it's way too soon for children, that's all I care about," Syaoran said as Sakura laughed. Arm still around his bride, the trio ambled out the door.

"Wait!" Kero levitated out of his mistress's arms and faced the couple. "I wanna be the first to say your name. Can I?"

"Hmm? Oh!" Sakura beamed. "Of course."

Kero took a deep breath. _"Sakura Li." _His small golden face smiled. "There. Now it's official."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Finally, at close to midnight, quiet came to the Li mansion. The bridal couple had a flight leaving about noon the next morning for their honeymoon destination, and would return to Japan in time to see the blooming of Sakura's namesake cherry blossoms in April.

A few guests, childhood friends from Tomoeda, had been invited to stay overnight, and were chatting in one of the living rooms. Sitting on the couch was Naoko Yanagisawa, talking excitedly about her first major book deal, pausing only to push up her glasses. Rika Sasaki, now Rika _Terada_, laughed at Naoko's enthusiasm. Her arm was linked with her husband's, Yoshiyuki Terada, who was very pleased that a former student of his had a bright future. Chiharu Mihara had a guarded look on her face; she was listening to her mischievous fiancée Takashi Yamazaki talking to Sakura's older brother Touya Kinomoto, ready to reel him in soundly if he started spouting off tall tales. Yukito Tsukishiro was having a friendly debate with the Tomoeda kids' other former teacher, Kaho Mizuki, on the topic of Japanese versus English desserts, and Eriol Hiiragizawa was entertaining Tomoyo Daidouji with a few witty jokes. Nakuru Akizuki was acting entirely too cheerful as usual, but was keeping her rather large canvas bag strangely close.

"Hello, everyone!" Meilin Li came in, her slinky fire-red dress bringing out the sparkle in her ruby eyes. "Sorry to interrupt the fun, but it's time for some of you to come to the meeting that Auntie called."

As good nights were said, Touya, Yukito, Kaho, Eriol, Tomoyo, and Nakuru rose and departed with Meilin. They wound up, ironically, in the very same room where Mrs. Li first received Sakura and Tomoyo on that long-ago visit to Hong Kong.

"No one minds if I let my hair down, so to speak?" Within seconds, Nakuru's long brown hair morphed to a deep rose shade with twin hair buns, black butterfly wings and gloves appeared, and her green dress turned into a black and pink number. Nakuru flung her bag into the air. It spiraled dizzily before landing on a red divan. "Coast is clear, Suppi-chan!" She giggled at the miniature butterfly-winged black kitten who swayed drunkenly from the bag's opening.

"_I dare you to attempt sleep tonight, you pork bun-headed prat."_

"Watch it with the "pork bun" references," Meilin said with a huff, reaching up to pat her own buns. She took a seat next to Tomoyo, tossing a long strand of ink-black hair over her shoulder. She glanced at the tall clock near the fire. "The lovebirds should be here—"

"_Are_ here," Sakura piped up. She and her new husband came and took—ironically—a loveseat close to the fireplace. Sakura had changed into a simpler, comfortable gown and had disposed of the rather heavy head ornaments. "Does anyone here know why Yelan-sama asked us to meet here?"

"Not a clue," Meilin said. "Something about spinning yarns by the fire and an experiment."

Syaoran was instantly uneasy at the word 'experiment.' "D'you mind if we leave about eleven hours early to meet our flight, Sakura?"

"Oh, Syaoran—"

"Yo, Kid!" Kero floated through the dark hallway into the room's firelight, tail twitching in agitation while he fixed Syaoran with an indignant glare. "Don't tell me the kitchen doesn't have any more pudding on stock! That should be a punishable offense. I can't even find dry pudding mix!"

Tomoyo giggled. "Kero-chan, you polished off the last of the leftovers just an hour ago, and you're still hungry?"

"It's been a long day," Kero justified. "I'm lion enough to admit that I had a few crying jags that drained me, so I need another sugar fix. Anyone got even one of them Splenda packets, even? Sugar cube? Gum?"

"Perhaps I can distract you."

All conversation stilled. In the doorway on the opposite end of the room stood Syaoran's powerful, magical mother—Yelan Li. As when Tomoyo and Sakura first saw her, she wore a gold head ornament in her long ebony hair, and a cord around her waist from which hung a series of large rings. Now she had on a red tunic and gold floor-length skirt that only emphasized the dignity in her tall frame, in her moonlike face, in the dark amber eyes she shared with her only son.

Kero wisely quit yapping about pudding.

Next to Yelan was a slightly taller man of the same age, and behind them were another man and two women, and Wei Li, an elderly cousin who had once served as Syaoran's butler, guardian, and martial arts instructor in Japan. Syaoran's four older sisters, normally rambunctious to say the least, were now oddly subdued, quietly moving from behind their elders to quietly take seats.

Yelan glided forward until she was nearly touching the hovering mini-lion.

"Do you know who I am, Little Cat?"

Kero nodded respectfully. "Yelan Li-sama."

Everyone was surprised when Yelan's face, expressionless as the serene moon, abruptly broke into a small smile, and she let out a laugh. "_Sama?_ I thought I'd never hear my name connected to any kind of honorable title if the speaker was proud Keroberos of the Sun." She sobered. "You truly don't remember me?"

"The first time I met you was when Sakura was still in elementary school. She won a trip to Hong Kong and ended up fighting the spirit of Madoushi the fortune-teller. Even then, it wasn't really a meeting," Kero amended. "I just kinda hid in Sakura's backpack and hoped you wouldn't sense me."

The man who had stood beside Yelan stepped forward. "I don't suppose you'll know who I am, then?"

"Father, what's going on?"

The man held up a hand to silence Syaoran. "_Kero_…do you know me at all?" A silent plea hung in his voice.

Kero scrutinized him, scrunching up his yellow snout. _Huh, messy brown hair and a steady gaze… _"Hey, I guess you're the kid's papa, right? A pleasure to finally meet you, sir…wait—"

Dark blue eyes.

_Clow's eyes._

"Yuki!"

A sharp aura of light was emanating from Yukito, alarming Touya. "It's Yue—he senses some new force in the room, he wants to come out _now_—" His eyes fluttered closed, his chin falling to his chest as he fell into immediate slumber.

Touya nudged people out of the way as Yukito was raised unconscious out of his seat, glowing white wings sprouting from his back to cocoon him. The wings opened, revealing a tall man with long moon-pale hair and robes of white and blue—Yue.

His pale blue eyes' pupils sharpened to cat-like slits in shock at the sight of Syaoran's parents and their retinue. Images, sensations, smells, voices—bits and pieces from a forgotten segment in his life clicked, snapped, _shot_ into place.

"Yelan…Xiaodan…"

Kero's eyes bounced back and forth between the two parties. "Uh…I think I'm losin' something here…"

A pale flash—

"No one should have to live with shattered memories. You taught me that, Little Cat."

The lion found himself staring at Yelan's eyes and a pale fan held like a blade.

"Jade Emperor beseeches thee, Four Gods. Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Lightning, Wind—"

"Heeeyyy, wait a second, lady!" A blur of feathers, a flash of gold fur and immense wings, and Kero was in his true leonine form, the powerful Guardian Beast. "No spellcasting on someone else's Guardian! Sakura! _Sakura!_"

The Cardmistress whipped out the Shield Card, but Syaoran and Yue blocked her. "Mother always has a reason behind her actions!" Syaoran tried to reassure.

The clock's long hand hovered next to the twelve.

"Jade Emperor beseeches thee, Four Gods. God of Fire and Earth, I ask you: Mend the memories of your supplicant, this Child of the Sun, through this compass, God of Fire." A flick of the wrist and the fan was flat before her. **"Now!"**

Cleansing fire possessed his brain—flames licking at dusty shreds of memory, welding together long-forgotten hours from another life. Nurturing earth weighed down in his chest, reaching past bone and muscle until tendrils of soil curled around his heart and caused a resurrection. Suddenly, dead seeds of emotion bloomed for these strangers who, once upon a time, had not been strangers.

The clock struck midnight—that quicksilver moment between day and night, yesterday and tomorrow.

The fire ceased, the earth fled.

Kero collapsed, his excavated memories playing over in his head…


	2. Chapter 1: The Book of Clow

Chapter One: **The Book of Clow**

000000000000000000000000000000

_Hong Kong…Pearl of the Orient, Gateway to the East._

_A subtropical place, cool and dry during winter, hot and rainy in the summer, it was the city where East met West. Composed of many islands in the South China Sea, the "Fragrant Harbor" had a textile and manufacturing industry that supported a booming economy, but banking and finance were very soon to be the keys that would make the city a shining example of capitalism. Religious freedom was ensured. Public transport was quickly making its way toward its present sophistication, filled with ferries, trams, and double-decker buses. Victoria Harbor had become one of the busiest harbors in the world, smack dab on the trade route to mainland China. Urban development was booming on the Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island. Herbal medicine shops, restaurants of varied cuisine, and stores selling wares from all over the world abounded, and the notorious Temple Street Night Market was going strong._

_Geographically part of China, politically owned by Great Britain, it was a city of mixture and coexistence between two hemispheres. Nowhere was that reflected more than in the underground community that blended seamlessly…or _nearly_ seamlessly with Hong Kong's other, unsuspecting citizens._

_As soon as Hong Kong was ceded to Britain after the First Opium War in 1842, those of the Western mages who were unorthodox, outcasts, rebels, or adventurers flocked to this small spot in Asia and set up shop. It was controlled by a European power, but was as different from Europe as you could get, operating by a different set of rules._

_And the Eastern sorcerers kept their ways alive, watching and wondering—what would happen, they mused, if these powers combined to form a different magic?_

_Would the world be ready?_

_This was the world of Xiaodan Li._

000000000000000000000000000000

_Victoria Harbor, Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong_

_Chinese New Year, February 2, 1965_

_Year of the Snake_

"_Go go_!_ Go go_! C'mon, wait up!"

PUM, PUM, PUM.

"_Go go_," or "older brother," was striving to make his steps pound as softly as possible against the metal roof by going as fast as he could. _What I wouldn't give to fly!_

Though night was coming fast, that didn't stop ships from making evening dockings, exchanging cargo and waiting to be directed out of Victoria Harbor—business as usual. The few seagulls still flying about at six-thirty in the evening were faintly curious at the _extremely unusual_ sight of two young boys (one twelve years old, one eleven) dressed in black racing across the building tops of the Kwai Chung Container Terminal. The harbor was cloaked in the winter darkness, the peaceful air interrupted the youngsters' squabbles.

"_Go go_! Dammit, Xiaodan, I'm eating your dust!"

"That's the idea!" he called back with a laugh. _Let's see—the cargo containment building closest to the foreman's office…ha!_

He flung himself off the roof, falling onto ropes of wind that buoyed him up, tugged him across the few meters of ground far below, and deposited him on the next building.

PUM.

Xiaodan looked back in amusement at his younger brother. His speed was probably the only thing that made him jump into the wind's arms; he was now staring determinedly up at the night sky, uncomfortable noises escaping his mouth as the wind jerkily helped him cross over. It finally dumped him hard on the roof.

"GRRKK!...ow, ow, ow…."

Xiaodan's dark blue eyes danced with amusement. He combed a hand through his messy brown hair, tugging at it in hopes the pain would keep him from laughing. "It'd probably like you better, Xiaoyan, if you had a bit more faith in it," he commented.

Xiaoyan's green eyes glared as he bit out, "Well, 'scuse me if I'm sixty feet off the ground and _I can't see what's holding me up!_ You're the one who uses the ofudas, so make the wind like me."

"It doesn't work that way, stupid. Is your backpack all right? Good." Xiaodan grabbed Xiaoyan's arm and tugged him up to a crouch. "This is the right containment building. We're a few minutes early, but we need to set up now." They crawled along the gently sloped roof.

"Where's the roof hatch?"

Xiaodan ran his hand along the surface until he came across a crevice. "Here." He reached into his shirt and pulled out an ofuda paper with the markings for 'metal', slapping it on the hatch door. "Metal God, answer my call!"

The paper glowed, and the metal complied, moving aside with a few rusty scrapes to admit the brothers. They dove into the dark, weaving among the dusty rafters, waiting…

000000000000000000000000000000

"_Je je_, I'm scared."

"You didn't have to come," came the cold reply.

Yelan Wong glided across the ground, sighing at the sound of her younger sister halting in fear, then scurrying to catch up, every ten seconds. She halted in front of one of the buildings and turned off her flashlight.

A body knocked into her back. "_Uff!_ Ming Zhen!"

"Sorry, _Je je_."

Yelan held her tongue, instead tucking back an errant strand of long hair and saying, "If you're going to act like a mouse in a lion's den, head back home."

"No way!" Ming Zhen stuck her chin out.

Yelan took out a packet of supple leather from her black coat and jogged to the side door. She flipped open the leather cover and scrutinized the door lock, assessing which pick to use.

"What the heck are you doing?" Ming Zhen hissed bossily. "Have you completely forgotten why you've been training so hard with the fans? Boy, you're schooling's sure being put to use!"

"It's foolish to rely on magic all the time," she replied, already halfway done with the lock. _Snick, click, rattle, snick._ "Plus, the more we put off using magic, the more time we have before someone figures out we're here."

"Oh." Embarrassed, Ming Zhen fingered her ebony hair. "I didn't think of that."

"Surprise, surprise," Yelan murmured. With a final _snick_, the door swung in. She tucked away her lockpicks, turned on the flashlight, and gave it to Ming Zhen. "Let's go."

0000000000000000000000000000000

High up in the darkness, Xiaoyan's senses pricked.

"Hear that? Someone's here, bro."

The elder Li felt for the ofudas within his shirt, then fingered the tiny black ball on a chain around his neck. "So, the first group's here. Can you see 'em yet?"

Xiaoyan's green eyes started to shine softly in the pitch black, his pupils twisting and refocusing. He shrugged off the backpack and tossed it to Xiaodan, then dropped silently dropped down a few rafters to peer at the newcomers.

"Hey…hey, _wow_…."

Xiaodan dropped next to him. "You gotta see this," his younger brother said. Xiaodan felt him place a hand on his arm. Immediately, his mind spun as his own blue eyes were flung out of whack until he too had night vision.

_I hate it when he doesn't warn me._

Xiaodan gradually focused on the intruders who now stood in the empty center of the floor.

_"What?!"_

"They're _girls_, Xiaodan, hot chicks!" Xiaoyan hissed happily.

Xiaodan raised an eyebrow. "You're kinda young for that."

"Hey, tell me they're not hot!" The comment earned him a brief, undignified noogie.

Xiaodan stared at the girls. The second one, holding a flashlight, was no younger than Xiaoyan. Long black hair reached to her elbows, but would have been longer if it hadn't been hoisted into twin buns on either side of her head. She wore capris, a black jacket, and a pink top that looked really girly, even for a girl, in Xiaodan's opinion. Lightly tanned skin, slim figure, and eyes of an unusual scarlet completed an unusually pretty child.

But it was the first one who caught his attention.

She now had her back to them, hiding the face that his brother apparently thought was attractive. Her black overcoat was belted, outlining a slim body, probably not very strong. Jet hair was caught up in a hasty bun, a few long locks trailing down. She had two large rings clutched in each hand.

Bingo. Half of what they'd come to reclaim. But what in the world were these two doing here? _They're gonna get killed_, he thought with grim knowledge. A couple skinny girls trying to broker a deal with—_him_.

"Ming Zhen." Xiaodan was startled at the commanding voice. "When exactly did she say they would be here?"

"Ehhh…._Ma ma_ said…" The frilly-shirted girl paused, watching her set the rings on the floor. "Seven….ish?"

"By Father's _grave_, Ming Zhen—!"

"Well, she was going on and on for _forever_ about safety precautions," she retorted. "My ears were about to fall off, _Je je_! Can ya really blame me if I tuned out once or twice?"

The brothers had the feeling they should be grateful they couldn't see her expression. "Why she debriefed _you_, I'll never figure out," were her icy words.

Xiaodan guessed his brain had shut down, since he found himself stupidly thinking,_ I like that she sounds so powerful and sure. I wonder what she looks like when she's angry. What color are her eyes?_

"Because then you'd _have_ to take me along, instead of leaving me behind," Ming Zhen laughed, sticking out her tongue impishly. "I'm never gonna learn the family business if I don't have a good teacher, so take it as a compliment that Mama's trusting me with you!"

"I'm ecstatic." She snatched the flashlight away, taking out an object that unfolded into a paper lantern. She slipped the flashlight in, covering the girls in a warm glow.

Her body stiffened at the sounds of heavy footsteps.

"_Hide."_

0000000000000000000000000000000000000

_"Hide."_

"Huh?"

"Behind anything. Just do it."

"But Mama said—"

"That you're to learn, she never said anything about participation, now MOVE!"

Ming Zhen finally cowed and dashed into the dark. Now that the other party was here, Yelan's ire at her mother's stubbornness skyrocketed. Damn that woman!

The new arrivals stood at the edge of the lantern's glow.

"Isn't this disappointing."

Yelan's heart chilled at the sound of accented English softly spoken by a man who had half the mages in Eastern Africa afraid to speak his name.

"So…China's queen of bandits is only brave enough to send a child to face me."

_Snap._

Fire roared as it raced a circle around them, encasing Yelan and the man.

Her eyes never wavered from his newly illuminated face.

"A pleasure to meet you, Adder."

He was dressed quite casually, a dark button-up shirt and slacks, a small briefcase in one large hand. If he had walked through the financial district at midday, he would've been mistaken for a foreign businessman, with his brisk, confident aura. But something was…off.

His skin, coffee-dark, had strange lights trailing across the surface, curling symbols that vanished and reappeared at whim. When he smiled, the gesture and the lights displaced shadows, warping his fierce face. Anyone with a sliver of magic in them would sense a crookedness in his aura, a whiff of _vice_.

"Fuego…Besnost…"

From the heated, quivering air above the flames came twin dragons, one blood-red, the other coal-black. They unfurled their thick, long bodies and started to circle Yelan.

The black serpent leapt, wrapping around the girl's waist, its leering, sinister yellow eyes boring into hers. When it tried to lick the tip of her nose—

"_KRRRAALLLL!!"_

Spinning lights zigzagged in its eyes from Yelan's smack upside its head. Adder laughed as his befuddled familiar scrambled away to rejoin its twin.

"A fearless one, eh, Besnost? But perhaps she'll be your plaything soon, my friends."

"I don't play," Yelan drawled. She gestured to the rings at her feet. "Here's our side of the bargain."

Adder crooked his finger. The red dragon Fuego broke away, looped its tail through the rings, and flew to its master. "Exquisite," he rumbled. "You truly have no idea just what their awesome powers are? I would like to know myself."

"No, we don't. But it's a Li heirloom, so it's not useless."

With a couple snaps, Adder had his briefcase open. "I suppose," he said lightly, "you'll be wanting this?" The case tumbled down with a bang, but Yelan didn't flinch, eyes locked on her objective.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000

"The Book of Clow!" Xiaodan breathed.

Xiaoyan's green gaze widened. "So that's what it looks like," he muttered. A reddish tome with a fancy clasp and some sort of picture on the front—a bird? He glimpsed wings—was all he could make out. "Doesn't look like it's all that important."

"You're insane. You can't feel the aura coming off that thing?" Xiaodan couldn't take his eyes off the book. Could they really pull this off? If Adder didn't kill them and that girl didn't get in their way, would the book even let itself be taken? "Nevermind. I don't care if it's garbage or the Holy Grail: it's _ours_, and we're taking it back!"

Meanwhile, Adder was smiling. "I'm pleased that you show more honor than your mother," he said softly. "She's double-crossed me once too often. It's comforting to know dishonesty isn't genetic."

_Sometimes I'm not so sure._ "Not too many of our kind remember the saying, 'Honor among thieves', do they?" She placed a hand on her hip and reached out with the other; how her hand burned for that book... "But we do."

A rumble swiftly built in Besnost's throat.

"Alas…no. _It's just you_."

Fire spewed from the jet dragon's throat, engulfing the girl completely.

**"NO!"** Xiaodan flung himself off the rafter, leaving Xiaoyan scrambling to catch up. Landing on a tower of cargo boxes, he jumped one to another, trying to get to ground level. He fumbled for an ofuda and the bead on his necklace, summoning his sword.

Besnost's flame finally sputtered out. Adder's face dropped like a rock.

The uppity little pre-teen wasn't a shish kabob, but was slicing through the air with a fan, controlling the shield of wind swirling around her, extinguishing the fire.

A wind so saturated in magic, it killed fire instead of feeding it…

_"Now, that was just stupid."_ Her other hand swiftly scooped the wind and flung it straight into Besnost's gaping mouth. It plummeted, eyes popped out and swirling.

Adder bared his teeth savagely, flames curling from the pale rivers in his skin. "I won't be bested by Shulan's bastard!"

"WATER GOD, AID ME!" The African mage found his face buried in the cement floor, water beating into his back. The Book of Clow tumbled away.

Xiaoyan hissed "Score!" He pounced—the same second as Fuego.

"HSSSSSSSSSS!!!"

He ignored the dragon's clawing, keeping his deathgrip on the book. Green eyes burned as his canines lengthened abominably. _"Right back atcha!"_ he rasped.

Yelan stared at the pissed-off fire mage and the sword-wielding boy who dueled before her. "Fantastic, we really needed a third damn party!" Whipping out a second fan, she spread her arms and focused the wind on Adder, the most dangerous problem.

The mage was fully enraged now, mouth twisted in a feral snarl, fire cascading down his arms to pool at his hands. Xiaodan gaped at the spear that formed. His enemy flung the weapon at his chest and only just managed to parry it. Fumbling with his sword, he managed to grab an ofuda and slap it on his left forearm when he saw another spear forming.

"Metal God, a shield!" The second spear deflected off the newly-formed shield, sending vibrations flooding through the left side of his body. _Jeez, I'm gonna hurt in the morning!_

Adder kept pelting him with spears, forcing him back, back, back. "I don't know who you are"—CLANG—"but you"—CLANG, CLANG—"will get"—CLANG, CLANG, CLANG—_"nothing!"_

The shield was starting to crumple; Xiaodan could barely hold it up now. Neither fighter noticed the pale snakes of wind curving around Adder's feet.

"A snot-faced boy, scrabbling on the ground like a rat," he wheezed. He flung a shot of sparks at the boy's leg. Xiaodan failed to dodge in time and cried out in pain, falling to the floor. "You've reached for more than you can handle. Tell me, what thief clan do you hail from, so I know to which weeping mother I should send your torn carcass?"

Xiaodan's blue eyes glared past his brown bangs. "I'm no thief," he growled, stubbornly rising, letting the now-useless shield drop. "I'm Xiaodan Li, heir to the Li Clan, and we want our belongings back." An ofuda slipped from his sleeve; his sword rose high.

"WATER GOD!"

"WIND BIND!"

Completely caught off guard, Adder found himself paralyzed by Yelan's attack, screaming at the river of water slamming into his chest.

Dazed at their apparent victory, Xiaodan turned to grin at the girl—only to see her dashing to where Xiaoyan was fighting the red dragon for the Book of Clow.

"Aw, _hell!_"

00000000000000000000000000

Fuego didn't know what to make of the green-eyed demon.

Xiaoyan now clutched the book to his chest, and fought the dragon with fingertips turned to claws. No matter how the dragon twisted or bit, his arm stayed stuck to the book like glue. Chaos multiplied when Yelan wove air between her fingers to fling boy and serpent away. Fuego was down and out, but Xiaoyan dodged and used a leg to flip Yelan's legs out from under her, even as the book met her hand.

"HYYYAAAHH!"

Xiaoyan was shell-shocked, dimly aware in the back of his mind that he was tumbling head over heels with the younger, frilly-clothed girl, Ming Zhen.

"Hit a girl, will you!? GYAH!" With a kick in the gut, he was sent stumbling off her, his head meeting the cement floor unpleasantly. The shock made the claws, the fangs, the burning eyes, vanish, leaving a dizzy boy staring at a girl assuming a seasoned martial arts stance.

His brother was having female-troubles of his own.

"Lemme take this off your _hands_!" he growled, tugging at the book to him.

"No, I shouldn't trouble _you_!" she spat, pulling back.

"I in_sist_!"

"Oh _no_!"

"Hell _yes_!"

The magic between the two of them was blinding, each aura trying to possess the book and push the other away. If they had stopped yelling at each other, Xiaodan and Yelan might have noticed a flaring magic circle, filled with mystic symbols and lines, was suddenly engraved on the ground beneath them.

Besnost had finally regained consciousness, and had roused Fuego. Murder in their eyes, the dragons swiftly wound their way to the dueling children.

**"Give it!"**

**"No!"**

They yelled when the book's cover slammed open, blinding them with light, an unearthly gust blowing about them. A series of cards flipped out, shooting into the ceiling and through it.

"Close it," Xiaodan cried, "close it!" He slapped his hand over the one she had on the lid, and they started to drag it shut.

The two dragons leapt—and bawled in horror as they were sucked in, trapped with whatever remained of the cards.

00000000000000000000000

Adder finally tore through the wind binding, wheezing to drag back in the air the water blast had stomped from the lungs.

_The cards are gone…those piglets scattered them…I'll see them dead another day, but for now I'll take what I can get…_

He scrambled over to the four rings Fuego had abandoned. As soon as he gripped one—

If he hadn't been screaming, he would've sworn a god's wrathful voice rang through his head. He flung the rings from him, but too late.

0000000000000000000000000

Xiaodan finally snapped out of his daze when his brother came into his line of vision with the rings.

"I've got 'em, _Go go_…but…he's dead…"

"What?"

"That Adder guy…he's dead. I think he touched the rings…"

Xiaodan looked at the body, then turned away. He'd never seen a dead man before. Well, not one just minutes after the fact, anyway…

The brothers started when, with a sharp _FUM_, Adder's body self-combusted, turning into its own funeral pyre, until nothing but a few small piles of ash remained. No doubt it would be brushed aside in the morning by some unknowing worker, with not even a smell to indicate what once the 'dust' had been.

Eastern Africa's most feared fire mage and criminal kingpin was gone.

Wondering why his brother had been able to get away from Ming Zhen to retrieve the rings, he met his answer when he saw her by the older girl's side.

"Yelan…_Je je_…what's wrong?"

The girl—Yelan—had tears silently crawling down her face. Her amber eyes were staring glassily at the Book of Clow.

"She didn't want the book, Ming Zhen. She wanted the cards they held. They must all be gone by now," she said softly. "Gone. My future's gone." Yelan reached out, her fingers shakily touching the dormant book. "I think I'll go die in the harbor."

"What!?" Ming Zhen shrieked. The boys stared.

"Mother will kill me for this."

Xiaodan took in her pale face, her jittering hands. _She's really, honestly scared._

He slowly plucked the tome from the ground, and dusted it off; he slipped two rings from Xiaoyan's limp hand, placed them on the book, and gently put them on Yelan's lap.

"The book has to have some power to it, and you can use those dragons for something," Xiaodan murmured, trying not to spook the girls who were currently in shock at his gesture. "Well, better have some sedatives ready before you turn 'em loose. And our clan has plenty of magical junk; I don't think losing a couple jade rings will hurt us any…"

"I…you…" Something turned in his chest when Yelan lifted her eyes, imprisoning his own. He finally had the answer to his question: her eyes were a haunting amber. "…Why?"

"You shouldn't have your mom on your case. I mean, you've had a rough night already, and it's not even seven-thirty yet," he said with a grin.

Her hair had come down in the fight, and now curtained her face. "…My thanks." Abruptly, she stumbled to her feet with the gifts and wrapped an unwavering arm around Ming Zhen. "We're going."

"Uh…Yelan!"

She stopped, but didn't turn around.

"If you're serious about your mom…then she's not much of a mother. If you ever need to…I—I mean, my family—we won't mind if you wanna visit. I'm sure you can find out where we live."

Ming Zhen finally glanced back. "Yelan, they're gone! I didn't hear a thing, but they've disappeared like smoke!"

Yelan still didn't turn. She wanted to get that boy out of her mind as fast as she could. Especially that look on his face.

That caring look.

000000000000000000000000000

"You shouldn't have done that, Xiaodan. You definitely should not have done that."

"Giving them the stuff, or inviting them to drop by?" Xiaodan activated another wind ofuda. Airy threads wove around their feet, creating 'shoes' that pushed off the roof and sent them soaring from building to building.

The younger kid scowled. "Yeah, thanks doing for that on the way over here, bro."

"Well, this method takes more energy." Which was true, otherwise Xiaodan would've used it. He knew his little brother was quite brave; not many eleven-year-olds could jump high over roofs via magic with ease. But if control was taken away—if he couldn't jump, but had to depend on someone to carry him—he had problems.

"Sure, sure. And getting back to your question, both," Xiaoyan grumbled, batting his black bangs out of his eyes. "Mostly the stuff—I'm kinda pissed about that—but both."

"Then why didn't you stop me?" The younger boy said nothing. "Look, I know you don't like thinking about such things, but there are kids out there who hate going home, 'cause they don't know if they'll feel safe enough to sleep. That girl didn't sound like she was joking about her mom hurting her."

"We should've taken them with us then!" Xiaoyan exclaimed. "We shouldn't have let them go home, but no, you gave them more than half the stuff _we_ oughta be bringing back, and who knows what could happen to them now!"

Xiaodan was pulling ahead, preventing Xiaoyan from seeing his conflicted face. "You saw her fight, and got a taste of what her sister could do. They'd send us both flying," he said with grim certainty, "if we tried to bring them with us. I guess all we can do now is hope the book and rings will keep their mom off her back, and she'll remember my offer."

"What about the Clow Cards?" Xiaoyan's green gaze darkened. "You've heard the stories, they're dangerous. And now they're running wild in Hong Kong!"

Xiaodan now felt worse. How long before hell broke loose? And what would happen when the hunt for them began? "We'll deal with them soon. Tons of people will want to tame them, but not just anyone can catch a Clow Card!"

He abruptly looked back, blue eyes flashing with his forced smile. "We better hurry! New Year's dinner's at eight, _Ma ma_ will blow a gasket if we're late!"

_Yelan._ He silently formed her name in his mouth. _Her name is Yelan…_

000000000000000000000000000000

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any part of Cardcaptor Sakura, a creation of CLAMP. I only own my original characters ().

**PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! **(You know you want to.)

**Characters Thus Far**:

Xiaodan Li—Heir to the Li Clan; wields a sword and the ofudas. 12 years old.

Xiaoyan Li—Xiaodan's younger brother; possessor of strange morphing abilities. 11 years old.

Yelan Wong—A fanmage; daughter of China's "queen of bandits". 12 years old.

Ming Zhen Wong—Yelan's younger sister; trained in martial arts. 11 years old.

Adder—East African firemage and crimelord; tried to double-cross Yelan during a deal for four Li Clan heirloom rings in exchange for the Book of Clow.

Besnost and Fuego—Adder's lackeys, a pair of miniature black (Besnost) and red (Fuego) serpentine dragons. 'Besnost' is Slovenian for 'wrath''; 'fuego' is Spanish for 'fire'.

**Translations** (Cantonese unless indicated)

_go go_— older brother

_je je_— older sister

_ma ma_— mother (betcha could have figured that out, huh? grin)

_besnost_— wrath (Slovenian)

_fuego_— fire (Spanish)


End file.
